umphotography wrote in post #15780955First off,, main body is a 40d,,, F/4 is not gonna be fast enough for most churches I shoot in but the 85 on a crop might be long enough plus you can shoot at F/2.0.,,, that said, you need a better body and more glass,,, you should consider several things and scout well so you don't get in trouble,, churches present unique problems,,, good equipment is essential

I do need a better body and more glass...don't we all haha?

Both of these weddings are for friends/acquaintences, and they know the limitations I have. I do not rely on photography for my livelihood (yet). Of course I would love to buy a 5DMK III with the 70-200 2.8, the 85 1.2, and 135 2.0 etc., but it is just not going to happen. I would love to have the f4 and the f2.8 of the 70-200, the 2.8 for weddings, f4 for more of a walk-around lens, but again...just not going to happen at this point in my life.

Realistically I will only be able to buy one lens before the weddings...maybe 2 if I did the 70-200 F4 IS is the 85 1.8. This is tough!!

I've never tried using the combo during a wedding, but I love the 85 1.8 on my 50d. It's about 135 on a FF sensor and portraits at f2 are beautiful. This is typically a walk around / family gathering setup.

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a 70-200 - I use mine all the time.

As far as f4 goes.. I would do everything I could to avoid it. When I was getting into event photography I waited until I could afford the 2.8 models and I'm very glad I did. As other have noted, even 2.8 isn't fast enough sometimes.

Personally, for the circumstances you mentioned (friends wedding etc), I'd get the 85 1.8 over the Sigma. Don't get me wrong, the Sigma is a great lens, but it's over twice the price of the Canon. And the Canon is a sweet lens (along with the 135L, it's one of the best bang for your buck lenses). That will leave you with some extra cash to put towards your rentals, or even to purchase another lens. If you need something longer as well, you could get the 200 2.8. This combo would come in just a bit more than what the Sigma would cost.

Or, if you can compromise on the focal length, just get the 135L and never look back.

Thats if you really like primes. Otherwise the 70-200 2.8 would be my choice. Especially if you really only use one camera. I use two, and have the 135L on one, and either a 35 or 85 on the other.

Jason401 wrote in post #15803190Personally, for the circumstances you mentioned (friends wedding etc), I'd get the 85 1.8 over the Sigma. Don't get me wrong, the Sigma is a great lens, but it's over twice the price of the Canon. And the Canon is a sweet lens (along with the 135L, it's one of the best bang for your buck lenses). That will leave you with some extra cash to put towards your rentals, or even to purchase another lens. If you need something longer as well, you could get the 200 2.8. This combo would come in just a bit more than what the Sigma would cost.

Or, if you can compromise on the focal length, just get the 135L and never look back.

Thats if you really like primes. Otherwise the 70-200 2.8 would be my choice. Especially if you really only use one camera. I use two, and have the 135L on one, and either a 35 or 85 on the other.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Good luck!

Thanks for your thoughts. I feel like both the 135 and 200 would be too long for me being on a crop camera. One option that I have been toying around with is getting the 85 1.8, and then buying a used 7D. Looking at tests though, I just really like the images from the 1.4, and the extra 2/3 stop never hurts either. I do have the 50 1.8, which, while I'm sure the 85 1.8 is much better quality, I still feel like it is not quite enough for good low-light performance.

Last wedding I shot, I did shoot with two cameras. I had my 17-50 2.8 on my 40d, and the 70-200 F4 IS on my 350D.

Here with an update...I just ordered the Canon 85 1.8. For now I am probably just going to go ahead and rent the 70-200 2.8 IS, and save some money. I've been really thinking about a 7D for another body, but I would buy used, and I really want to wait until the 7DMii comes out, hoping to get a steal off of someone upgrading..but then I wonder...how long until I upgrade to full frame. I mostly shoot portraits and nature.

I use a 40D as my second and backup body, a 5DII as my primary. One thing I don't do is use my 70-200 f/4 IS on the 40D indoors. I tend to use my Sigma 85 f/1.4 inside, as well as my other primes (35 & 50), I also defer mainly to the 5DII because of higher ISO usage.

LloydNever make the same mistake twice, there are so many new ones, try a different one each dayGearFlickr

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